A bouquet of rosemary and other herbs will waft from the garden to the kitchen

If you plant nothing else this year that you can eat, grow herbs.
They're relatively low maintenance, you can keep them in containers on the patio, and they are instant money savers if you enjoy brightening your cooking with the likes of basil, thyme, rosemary or mint.

It's also Mother's Day. So if you're looking for a last-minute, thoughtful gesture, give Mom a gift that grows. You can choose from a virtual bouquet of herbs that embody flavor, aroma and beauty.

Some herbs may even give Mom a boost on a bad day.

"I tell people who suffer from depression, 'Lie face down in a patch of peppermint, and you'll feel better,' " said Nino Ridgway, whose Herbs and Everlastings business is based at Barthel Fruit Farm in Mequon. "Menthol lifts your spirits."
Ridgway sells 120 varieties of herb seedlings at the farm, and about half of them are culinary herbs. She opened for the season May 1 and sells most herbs for $3 per pot. She also offers "herb garden" pots that contain several herbs: an oval Italian window pot, for example, includes oregano, thyme and rosemary for $14. You also could choose an herb planter, pick out three of Mom's favorite culinary herbs, and grab some potting soil to create your own container herb garden.
Ridgway is selling herbs at the farm from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Gardening centers also are open on Mother's Day.

It's a little late to buy and sow herb seeds, said gardening expert Melinda Myers. Those are best started early, indoors, and transplanted once the weather warms up. You could start seeds in the ground in late summer, and then take cuttings indoors to keep herbs through next winter, Myers suggested.

Thyme, sage, oregano, winter savory, lovage, fennel, parsley, chives, rosemary and French tarragon generally may be planted in the ground or in patio containers now, Ridgway said. Wait to plant basil seedlings until early June, once the threat of frost has passed.

"Harden off" herb seedlings before planting them by taking them outside for a few hours at a time to help them acclimate.

Sales of vegetable and herb seeds and plants are up 30% this year at W. Atlee Burpee & Co., the nation's largest seed distributor. And a survey by the National Gardening Association indicates 43 million U.S. households plan to grow some of their own parsley, thyme, strawberries, tomatoes, beans, peppers or other crops this summer.

Think about the savings on your food bill if you grow your own herbs: A basil seedling costs about $3 and lets you snip a few fresh basil leaves as needed, all summer long. At the store, a single small container of fresh basil costs $3 - and you probably won't even use the whole container before the leaves wilt.

Whether or not Mom likes to cook with herbs, she can still use fresh herbs for finishing or garnishing a dish. "It brightens the food," said JoLinda Klopp, chef and co-owner of Triskele's, 1801 S. 3rd St., in Milwaukee.

Klopp was executive chef at River Lane Inn in Brown Deer for about four years before opening Triskele's with Lynn Winter in October 2007. Klopp didn't have gardening experience before River Lane Inn. But the restaurant takes its vegetable and herb garden seriously, so Klopp said she quickly learned what she needed to know.

Klopp now wants to plant a rooftop garden at Triskele's. First, though, the restaurant has to install a staircase to the roof. "That's a major expense," she said.

"We'll have a garden of some sort, maybe a windowsill herb garden for now."

A rooftop garden also is in the works for The Black Trumpet at the Clarke Hotel in Waukesha, said executive chef Dean Schmitz. "This year, I've been too busy to get it started," he said. "So I purchase herbs from farmers markets."

He gathers herbs and vegetables for the restaurant by cruising the aisles of the West Allis Farmers Market, which opened last week, the Waukesha Farmers Market, which opened Saturday, and the Dane County Farmers Market in Madison, open since the end of April.

Schmitz recommends starting with three or four favorite herbs in a garden.

Myers suggests growing only what you will eat. Think about your favorite dishes that incorporate herbs, she said, and plant those herbs.

Myers recommends tucking herbs into a flower garden to add color, texture and, in some cases, aroma. Parsley works well as edging, for example.

Be careful with mint and oregano, Schmitz cautioned. "They're runners. Keep them in pots and trim the runners, or put edging down to form a barrier around the root balls so they don't send underground runners out."

Ridgway advises gardeners to isolate mint in a pot, far from any ground soil, because mint drops seeds and can quickly take over a yard.

Gardeners often have to contend with grazers of the four-legged variety.

But here's the beauty of rosemary, oregano, thyme, basil and sage: Deer won't eat them, Ridgway said. And rabbits "won't go out of their way" to eat most herbs, except maybe parsley.

If you happen to find a slug nibbling on your herbs, remember that slugs also enjoy dark beer and yeasty bread, Schmitz said.

Partially bury an empty, 4-ounce Brie container in the ground, and fill it with dark ale and chunks of bread.

"They get drunk and they can't get out, so they drown," Schmitz said. "Alcohol evaporates, so you do have to replenish it every few days.

"But it works like a charm."